Solvent interfaces

A film at low densities and pressures obeys the equations of state described in Section III-7. The available area per molecule is laige compared to the cross-sectional area. The film pressure can be described as the difference in osmotic pressure acting over a depth, r, between the interface containing the film and the pure solvent interface [188-190]. 

Evidence for two-dimensional condensation at the water-Hg interface is reviewed by de Levie [135]. Adsorption may also be studied via differential capacity data where the interface is modeled as parallel capacitors, one for the Hg-solvent interface and another for the Hg-adsorbate interface [136, 137]. 

Since taking simply ionic or van der Waals radii is too crude an approximation, one often rises basis-set-dependent ab initio atomic radii and constnicts the cavity from a set of intersecting spheres centred on the atoms [18, 19], An alternative approach, which is comparatively easy to implement, consists of rising an electrical eqnipotential surface to define the solnte-solvent interface shape [20],... 

Figure 4c illustrates interfacial polymerisation encapsulation processes in which the reactant(s) that polymerise to form the capsule shell is transported exclusively from the continuous phase of the system to the dispersed phase—continuous phase interface where polymerisation occurs and a capsule shell is produced. This type of encapsulation process has been carried out at Hquid—Hquid and soHd—Hquid interfaces. An example of the Hquid—Hquid case is the spontaneous polymerisation reaction of cyanoacrylate monomers at the water—solvent interface formed by dispersing water in a continuous solvent phase (14). The poly(alkyl cyanoacrylate) produced by this spontaneous reaction encapsulates the dispersed water droplets. An example of the soHd—Hquid process is where a core material is dispersed in aqueous media that contains a water-immiscible surfactant along with a controUed amount of surfactant. A water-immiscible monomer that polymerises by free-radical polymerisation is added to the system and free-radical polymerisation localised at the core material—aqueous phase interface is initiated thereby generating a capsule sheU (15). 

In finite boundary conditions the solute molecule is surrounded by a finite layer of explicit solvent. The missing bulk solvent is modeled by some form of boundary potential at the vacuum/solvent interface. A host of such potentials have been proposed, from the simple spherical half-harmonic potential, which models a hydrophobic container [22], to stochastic boundary conditions [23], which surround the finite system with shells of particles obeying simplified dynamics, and finally to the Beglov and Roux spherical solvent boundary potential [24], which approximates the exact potential of mean force due to the bulk solvent by a superposition of physically motivated tenns. 

It is intriguing that upon emersion the value of A0 changes up to about 0.3 V compared with the immersed state.41 This has been attributed42,51 to the different structure of the liquid interfacial layer in the two conditions. In particular, the air/solvent interface is missing at an emersed electrode because of the thinness of the solvent layer, across which the molecular orientation is probably dominated by the interaction with the metal surface. 

Practically, the Volta potential at the water-nonaqueous solvent interface, At4, is measured as the difference in the compensating voltages of the cells of Schemes 20 and 21 [57-59]. The vibrating plate is the mediatory electrode for both cells ... 

It is believed that solubilization is initiated when a biomolecule with charged surface groups approaches the bulk aqueous-lipophilic solvent interface, where the interactions cause the bulk interface s surfactant layer to bend, such that the protruding biomolecule becomes surrounded by the surfactant layer [105]. Ultimately, a filled w/o-ME forms, and partitions to the bulk organic phase [105]. 

As an illustration, we briefly discuss the SCC-DFTB/MM simulations of carbonic anhydrase II (CAII), which is a zinc-enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion of CO2 and HCO [86], The rate-limiting step of the catalytic cycle is a proton transfer between a zinc-bound water/hydroxide and the neutral/protonated His64 residue close to the protein/solvent interface. Since this proton transfer spans at least 8-10 A depending on the orientation of the His 64 sidechain ( in vs. out , both observed in the X-ray study [87]), the transfer is believed to be mediated by the water molecules in the active site (see Figure 7-1). To carry out meaningful simulations for the proton transfer in CAII, therefore, it is crucial to be able to describe the water structure in the active site and the sidechain flexibility of His 64 in a satisfactory manner. 

Several block and graft copolymers have been shown to form stable aggregates under thermodynamically poor solvent conditions, as a result of differences in the solubility of different parts of a macromolecule. Whereas in a good solvent the experimentally measured value of A2 for a copolymer represents the balance of all the multiple interactions, under thermodynamically poor conditions A2 is mainly determined by the interaction of the groups situated on the polymer-solvent interface. Groups which form the hydrophobic core and are not in a contact with the solvent do not contribute significantly to the solution properties of the copolymer. 

The effect of polymorphism becomes especially critical on solubility since the rate of compound dissolution must also be dictated by the balance of attractive and disruptive forces existing at the crystal-solvent interface. A solid having a higher lattice free energy (i.e., a less stable polymorph) will tend to dissolve faster, since the release of a higher amount of stored lattice free energy will... 

As mentioned above, the PCM is based on representing the electric polarization of the dielectric medium surrounding the solute by a polarization charge density at the solute/solvent boundary. This solvent polarization charge polarizes the solute, and the solute and solvent polarizations are obtained self-consistently by numerical solution of the Poisson equation with boundary conditions on the solute-solvent interface. The free energy of solvation is obtained from the interaction between the polarized solute charge distribution and the self-... 

Figure 2.13 Variation of the concentration of reactants with distance from the solvent interface in bulk liquid...

In contrast, a fast reaction rate will result in steep concentration gradients for the reactants and a higher reaction rate near the solvent interface. This concept is represented diagrammatically in Figure 2.13b, where the concentration of reactant A is almost as high as that in phase 1 at the solvent interface, but plummets as it is rapidly consumed by the reaction. Thus, for a fast reaction, the majority of reactant is converted to product near the phase boundary layer and the rate of the reaction is limited by the rate of phase transfer and diffusion. 

Some information about the metal-solvent interaction can be obtained from measurements of the contact (Volta) potential difference at the metal/solvent interface... 

Figure 3. Comparison of the Volta potential differences at the Hg/solvent interface vs. (a) donor number and (b) donor and acceptor numbers. Jt=0.007 AN-0.011DN-0.485 ...

The hydrolysis of lipids rarely occurs in a single homogeneous phase, and the behavior of lipases at membrane-solvent and micelle-solvent interfaces has been discussed in detail by Verger and Jain et aP See Micellar Catalysis... 

---